Three phase dispenser



Aug. 30, 196 0 v R.-

1ETA L Y 2,950,846 Y THREE PHASE nisPENsER 1;

Filed- March 13'. 1958 H INVENTORS.

RONALD CLARK 8: DAVID JOHN ALEXANDER Thai? A 7" TQFF/VEYS.

THREE PHASE DISPENSER Ronald Clark, Hanworth, and David John Alexander,

Teddington, England, assignors to Lever Brothers Company, New York, N.Y., a corporation of Maine Filed Mar. 13, 1958, Ser. No. 721,263

Claims priority, application Great Britain Mar. 20, 1957 7 Claims. (Cl. 222-399) This invention generally relates to dispensing devices and more particularly to a new and improved dispensing device for dispensing fluent products by gaseous pressure.

In devices of this type of heretofore known, a separate receptacle to hold the liquid propellant is positioned within the product container. Small apertures in the receptacle permit the gas developed by the liquid propellant to boil 011 and create sufficient pressure to dispense the product. However, it has been found that when the container is tilted, the liquid propellant comes into contact with the small apertures resulting in leakage and clogging.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a new and improved dispensing container for dispensing a fluent product by gaseous pressure.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a dispensing container of such construction that mixture of the liquid propellant and the product to be dispensed is substantially prevented.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a dispensing container of such construction that the small apertures, communicating the gaseous pressure with the product to be dispensed are kept from contact by the liquid propellant.

Generally, the invention provides a container for dispensing through a valve a fluent product under the pressure of a vaporized liquid propellant. A separate receptacle maintains the liquid propellant out of contact with the fluent product while small apertures permit the gaseous pressure developed by the liquid propellant to pass into the product container for dispensing the product. The structure embodying these small apertures is of such unique configuration as to prevent the liquid propellant from coming into contact with the apertures regardless of the tilt of the container.

These and other objects and advantages will become more readily apparent to one skilled in the art to which the invention pertains from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which the single figure illustrates an elevation view in section of one embodiment thereof.

Referring now to the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates generally a can or container of metal or other rigid material. The shape of the container 1 may be of any de sired configuration, it being understood that the invention is not limited to a particular container. A conventional dispensing valve 2 is positioned in a suitable opening in the upper portion of the container 1. Extending from an inlet tube 4 to the valve 2, a tube 3 of any suitable material communicates the valve 2 with the lowermost extremities of the container 1.

Secured to the tube 3 by means of ties or hands 5 is a receptacle 6 having a closed lower end and an open upper end, which upper end is sealed by means of a plug 7 forming a push fit. Passing through the center of the plug 7 and integral therewith is a tube 8 sealed at both ends with the exception of small pin holes identified by the numerals 9 and 10 formed in the upper and lower ends, respectively,

of the tube 8. The diameter of the pin hole or holes 9 is at least as great as that of the pin hole or holes 10.

The metal can or container 1 contains a fluent or creamlike product 11 such as, for example, toothpaste while the receptacle 6 contains a liquid propellant 12 constituted by, for example, a halogenated hydrocarbon.

During assembly, the device is assembled and filled with the product 11 and the propellant 12 in a manner now to be described. The open container 1 is filled to the desired degree with the product 11. Then the open receptacle 6 is secured by the ties 5 to the tube 3 which tube 3, in turn, is fitted on the inlet tube 4 of the valve 2. A liquid propellant 12 is fed into the receptacle 6 to the desired amount, the propellant being cooled well below its boiling point. The receptacle 6 is then sealed by the plug 7 with the tube 8 in position and the assembled unit is positioned within the container 1. The valve 2 is sealed to the container 1 as quickly as possible so as to avoid any substantial boiling off of the propellant 12. Then, the product 11 can be dispensed through an outlet 13 of the valve 2 when desired.

It will be obvious that in the particular construction described above, the product 11 and the liquid propellant 12 are prevented to a substantial degree from coming into contact with each other while pressurized propellant vapor may pass substantially freely from the receptacle 6 into the container or can 1 to exert a direct pressure on the product 11. This construction presents a substantial safeguard against any substantial leak of liquid propellant 12 into the product container 1.

-It is desirable in this connection to insure that the pin hole 10 never entirely submerges in the liquid propellant 12, and this is achieved according to the invention by suitable adjustment of the dimensions of the receptacle 6 and tube 8 and of the quantity of liquid propellant 12. Thus, no matter in which position the container 1 is disposed, the pine hole 10 is never submerged.

Furthermore, even when the dispensing container is completely inverted and the product 11 covers the pin hole 9, the presence of a positive pressure of propellant vapor in the tube 8 will substantiallly prevent the ingress of product 11 into the tube 8. It will be apparent, however, that satisfactory dispensing of the product 11 cannot be effected when the container is so inverted.

Under certain circumstances such as, for example, prolonged continuous dispensing of the product 11 the vapor pressure above the liquid propellant 12 may be instantaneously lowered to such an extent that the liquid propellant 12 in the receptacle 6 begins to boil and froth. In this instance, some of the boiling liquid 12 may contact the pin hole 10 resulting in a small quantity of the liquid 12 entering the tube 8. However, the correct dimen sions of the pin holes 9 and 10 insures that none of this liquid propellant 12 which has thus succeeded in entering the tube 8 will be able to enter the product container 1. In view of the fact that the pin hole 10 is of a very small size and the viscosity of the propellant vapor is very much less than that of the liquid propellant 12, a pressure will be built up quickly in the receptaclefi which pressure will be higher than that in the tube 8, The result will be a substantial reduction of the ebullition of any liquid propellant 12 is the receptacle 6 and, thus, keep to a minimum the quantity of liquid 12 entering the tube 8.

Furthermore, any such liquid 12 which remains in the tube 8 after such inter-dispensing period described above will be volatilised eflectively during the next dispensing operation. In this connection it is desirable that the pin hole 9 be at least as large as the pin hole 10 while not so large as to allow any of the product 11 to enter the pin hole 9 it splashed thereon.

In one particular embodiment of the present invention similar to that described above and in the description of 3 which the same reference characters are employed, 5.30 ccs. of a liquid propellant constituted by difiuorodichloromethane having a vapor pressure of 58 p.s.i.g. at 60 F.

was contained in a receptacle 6 having aninternal volume of 13.25 ccs., thereceptacle 6 having aninternal diameterof 1.5 cms. and an internal height of 7.5 cms., the liquid propellant 12 filling the receptacle 6 to a height of 3 cms. The tube 8 had an internal diameter of 0.32 cm. and a height of 3.75 cms. The lower end of the tube 8v was disposed 3.75 cms. from the bottom of the receptacle 6. The pin holes 9 and 10 had diameters of 0.01 inch, respectively. The assembled receptacle 6 was disposed in a standard aluminum dispensing container =1 having an internal volume of 188 ccs. and containing 145 ccs. of salad cream.

Although the form and disposition of the propellant receptacle described above has been found tobe particularly advantageous, it will be appreciated that other forms of propellant receptacles may be usefully employed to give an efiective separation between the product and the liquid propellant while allowing for the vaporized propellant to act directly on the product. Thus, the propellant receptacle may be disposed within the product can and may take the form of a tube sealed at both ends and provided with a side aperture over which is fitted a valve of the Bunsen type. This valve can take the form of a rubber sleeve fitting tightly over the aperture in the tube and having formed in it an incision which opens up upon the development of a suiliciently strong positive pressure in the tube thereby allowing the passage of propellant vapor from the tube into the product can. The degree of opening of the incision under pressure must never be sufiicient for the actual propellant liquid to escape from the tube. As an added safeguard to the possible escape of propellant through the valve incision the tube can be arranged to communicate through the Bunsen valve with a chamber which itself communicates with the product can via a further communicating valve, this latter valve being also possibly of a Bunsen type.

In a further arrangement in accordance with the present invention a modified form of unspillable ink-well type of receptacle may be used to contain the liquid propellant, the receptacle being weighted at the bottom and allowed to float on the surface of the product within the product can so that no matter which way the dispensing container is held the propellant receptacle is always maintained in a substantially vertical position. It should be noted, however, that such an arrangement is only satisfactory when the product is not so viscous as to prevent prompt righting of the propellant receptacle. It will be apparent that numerous modifications may readily be made to the type of propellant receptacle employed, such modifications being well within the scope of the present invention. It should be pointed out, however, that there are obvious advantages in having the propellant disposed in a receptacle of its own which is itself disposed within the product can; in this way, standard product cans may readily be employed in carrying out the present invention without the necessity of any structural modification.

The feature of the present invention by which the liquid propellant and the product do not come into contact with each other while vaporized propellant acts directly on the product within the product can, has been found to be highly desirable and in some cases essential for the efficient dispensing of various fiowable products under pressure. Thus, utilizing the present invention it is possible to employ products and propellants which if directly in contact with each other could react with deleterious consequences to the product or the container or both. It must be understood, however, that the present invention can really only be advantageously employed in those cases where the vaporized propellant is not soluble in the product when under pressure, to any substantial degree or does not undergo substantial chemical interaction with it.

Furthermore, it is possible, with a construction in accordance with the present invention, to dispense in a substantially unaltered and unfoamed form, suitable flowable products, such as toothpaste, and edible products such as, for example, salad cream. Where, however, it is desired to dispense the product foamed to a limited degree, i.e. as a high density foam, the product can be mixed with a specified amount of a gas under pressure such as carbon dioxide 'or nitrous oxide while the main propellant acts on-the product to ensure its uniform and substantially complete ejection.

It will furthermore be appreciated that since substantially little propellant is lost during dispensing a reduced amount of propellant is required per container as compared with the cases where the product and propellant are mixed.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms Without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall Within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embodied therein.

We claim:

1. A dispensing device for dispensing fluent materials by vaporous pressure having a container for enclosing the fluent material to be dispensed, a valve mounted on the container for releasing the fluent material, means to maintain the fluent material under vaporous pressure, said means comprising a receptacle disposed within the container for enclosing a liquid propellant, a tube disposed through the walls of the receptacle and extending into the receptacle a predetermined distance so that the inner end thereof is above the level of liquid propellant when said device is in any position and the outer end is in communication with said container, and said tube having an aperture at each end thereof to communicate the propellant vapor in the receptacle with the fluent material in the container.

2. A dispensing device for dispensing fluent materials by vaporous pressure having a container for enclosing the fluent material to be dispensed, a valve mounted on the container for releasing the fluent material, means to maintain the fluent material under vaporous pressure, said means comprising an open ended receptacle mounted within the container for containing a liquid propellant having a boiling point below room temperature at atmosphen'c pressure, a plug adapted to seal the open end of the receptacle, a tube disposed through the plug in sealed engagement therewith and extending into the receptacle a predetermined distance so that the inner end thereof is above the level of liquid propellant when said device is in any position and the outer end is in communication with said container, and said tube having an aperture at each end thereof to communicate the propellant vapor in the receptacle with the fluent material in the container.

3. A dispensing device according to claim 2 wherein a separate tube means extends from the valve means within said container and the propellant receptacle is attached to the separate tube means.

4. A dispensing device according to claim 2 wherein the tube disposed through the plug extends into the propellant receptacle a distance at least equal to the height of liquid propellant contained in the receptacle.

5. A dispensing device for dispensing fluent materials by vaporous pressure comprising a container means for enclosing a fiuent material to be dispensed, value means associated with the container means for releasing the fluent material in desired quantities, receptacle means associated with the container means but positioned therein for maintaining a predetermined quantity of liquid propellant sepa rate from the fluent material. to be dispensed, tubular means extending into the receptacle means a distance greater than the height of the liquid propellant so that the inner end thereof is above the level of liquid propellant when said device is in any position and the outer end is in communication with said container, and said tubular means having an aperture at each end thereof communicat ng the space in the receptacle above the liquid propellant with the space in the container means above the fluent material. 7

6. A dispensing device for dispensing fluent materials by vaporous pressure comprising a container means for enclosing a fluent material to a predetermined height therein, valve means mounted on the upper portion of the container means for releasing the fluent material in desired quantities, a first tubular means attached to the valve means and extended into the lower regions of the container means, a receptacle means attached to the first tubular means such that the upper portion of the receptacle means is above the level of the fluent material for enclosing a liquid propellant having a boiling point below room temperature at atmospheric pressure, a second tubular means disposed through the upper end of the receptacle means in substantially axial alignment therewith and extending into the receptacle means a distance at least equal to the height of the liquid propellant, and the sec 0nd tubular means having a normally open aperture in each end thereof for communicating the space in the receptacle means above the liquid propellant with the space in the container means above the fluent material.

7. A dispensing device for dispensing fluent materials by vaporous pressure comprising a container for enclosing the fluent material to be dispensed, a valve for releasing the fluent material, a receptacle positioned within the container containing a predetermined quantity of a liquid propellant, part of the internal boundary of the receptacle being constituted by a re-entrant wall, said wall being provided with at least one aperture to communicate propellant vapor in the receptacle with the fluent material in the container, said aperture being situated a predeterimned distance within the receptacle so that it is above the free surface of the liquid propellant in the receptacle when said device is in any position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 575,932 'Nageldinger Jan. 26, 1897 1,412,321 Tate Apr. 11, 1922 2,689,150 Croce Sept. 14, 1954 2,794,579 McKernan June 4, 1957 

